Fishers of Men is also created by Grassroots Films, a group of young Catholic men in the Bronx who do amazing work - also produced The Human Experience - both worth seeing.Thanks for the reminder LCB... was just wanting to drop my own pastor a note of encouragement - this time of year can be particularly demanding, and if these priests aren't getting the support and rest they need, the cross can seem truly overwhelming.

How beautiful!! Last night at the Chrism Mass at our diocese it was incredible to see all our holy priests and seminarians together. The Cathedral echoed with the boom of their "yes!" as they reaffirmed their priestly vocations.

Dear Leila,I must say, this is shocking. I know nobody who resembles these men whatsoever within the Catholic Church. In fact, as I was going to sleep last night, I was reflecting upon the idea that, growing up, as well as right now, I really didn't and don't know devout, religious men who come across as somewhat normal.

Even in my church, other than the pastor, most of the active men (and there are much fewer than the women)are somewhat eccentric in different ways.

There was only one truly Catholic boy in my grade (all the rest gave it up the minute they could, and looked at you like you had three heads if you ever tried to have a religious or philosophical discussion). The one true Catholic was very nice but was not interested in me.

Great post, we often (at least I do) forgot to thank our priest for the selfless work they do. We were SOOOO blessed with awesome priests in the past, and currently trying to get used to a couple, but they are all gifts :)

These types of priests are normal to me too. In 3 out of the 4 states/communities I've lived in, I've always had priests like this. Not to mention knowing many young, normal men (often friends from college and parishes) who are considering the priesthood.

I'll be honest- when other Catholic moms say things like, "I hope my son grows up to be a priest or daughter/nun", my reaction has always been, "I sure hope mine don't!!!" for purely selfish reasons. I have such a hard time imagining my children making such a huge sacrifice (and I want grandchildren!).

However, after having watched this video, I feel much more at peace with the idea of one of my children having a vocation for religious orders. These men all seem so joyful and strong and peaceful... clearly they are not "missing out" on life!

I found the the following Meditation of the Day for Holy Thursday in the Holy Week Magnificat. It was written by Francois Mauriac, who won the Nobel Prize in literature and is acknowledged as one of the greatest Roman Catholic writers of the twentieth century.

People say that there is a scarcity of priests. In truth, what an adorable mystery it is that there still are priests. They no longer have any human advantage. Celibacy, solitude, hatred very often, derision and, above all the indifference of a world in which there seems to be no longer room for them—such is the portion they have chosen. They have no apparent power; their task sometimes seems to be centered about material things, identifying them, in the eyes of the masses, with the staffs of town halls and of funeral parlors. A pagan atmosphere prevails all around them. The people would laugh at their virtue if they believed in it, but they do not. They are spied upon. A thousand voices accuse those who fall. As for the others, the great number, no one is surprised to see them toiling without any sort of recognition, without appreciable salary, bending over the bodies of the dying, or ambling about the parish…For centuries, since the first Holy Thursday, some men have chosen to become objects of hatred, without expecting any human consolation. They have chosen to lose their lives because once Someone made them the seemingly foolish promise: “He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake will find it”. ...But if they did not find their joy even in this world, would they persevere? “What are you going to do?” said Abbé Perreyve to Christ, the day before he was ordained. “You are delivering yourself; you are abandoning yourself to me. You surrender your body to me. I shall use it for my needs and for the needs of other souls...I shall touch you, I shall carry you, I shall handle you and you will allow me to do it; I shall place you on the lips of whom I will; you will never refuse…” Indeed, priests, holy priests, are repaid by an immense love.

Thank you for your post. It is really good to see such thoughtful prayers. on-this-rock.blogspot.comFr. Hollowell could use some prayers. He seems to be under a lot of pressure/attack because it talks about the difficult topics.

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Mystical Rose

Pray for us!

I love clarity. I love logic. I love Truth.

Greetings!

I am Leila Miller (pronounce it "Layla"), a 40-something Catholic wife and mother of eight children, whose ages span from 23 down to 4. Two of our children are married, and I recently became a grandma!

I often tell folks that I love my "little Catholic bubble" of faithful friends and family. It's where I choose to live, in relative peace and joy.

However, the "bubble" is not exclusive! It's open to everyone.

I relish engaging the wider culture, and I do have a lot of opinions. If you read this blog, you will hear them.

Politically, I am a conservative. Theologically, I am a faithful Catholic who loves apologetics. For fun, I like to make matches between devout Catholic singles.